- Heartland Parkway
The Heartland Parkway is a proposed highway running from Polk county in central
Florida to the Fort Myers/Naples area of southwest Florida, to be operated byFlorida's Turnpike Enterprise . The proposed toll road would run approximately 110-150 miles through rural portions of Polk, Hardee, Highlands, DeSoto, Glades, Lee, and possibly Collier counties. With cost estimates ranging from $3-8 billion, support for the construction of the parkway has ebbed and grown. Former Florida governorJeb Bush was a proponent of this parkway, while current governorCharlie Crist has not expressed interest in its creation. [http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB8GLRIL1F.html]Need
Florida is prone to hurricanes, and many widening projects and proposed highway corridors have focused on the need to facilitate large volumes of traffic away from the coast. At the present time, only
Alligator Alley and several two-lane rural roads are able to transport the millions of people living in Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties away from the coast. [http://tollroadsnews.info/artman/publish/article_1410.shtml]Currently, the only viable North-South trucking route away from the coast is US 27. In Polk County, US 27 is seen as the deadliest road in the county in part due to the large volume of truck traffic and high speeds. Its popularity amongst truckers stems from its intersections with several major highways and its avoidance of major cities. [http://www.flhsmv.gov/fhp/misc/News/Related/2006/FHPnews012406d.htm] The
Florida Department of Transportation claims that truck traffic in Florida will double by the year 2020.The Heartland Environmental Agricultural Rural Task Force (HEART), an organization representing landowners pushing for the construction of the Heartland Parkway, has put forth some studies which they believe necessitate the construction of such a parkway. [http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/news/story/check-out-groups-guiding-principles-for-heartland-parkway/]
*The total volume of freight moving to, from, and within Florida is anticipated to grow from 847 million tons to 1.5 billion tons over the next 25 years.
*The population growth of Florida is projected to increase south of I-4 by six million people over the next 25 years.
*Of that, an estimated 1.5 million people are expected to move into the Heartland Corridor Region (Hendry, Glades, Highlands, DeSoto, Hardee, Northeast Collier and Polk counties).
*In the next 25 years, the number of out-of-state and international visitors to Florida is anticipated to grow from 84 million to 146 million visitors per year.Criticism
Criticism for the proposed parkway has largely stemmed from concern for the environmentally sensitive areas the parkway would run though, and concern that rural areas it would traverse would be exploited by developers. [http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/NEWS/705220382&SearchID=73281835133877] Such criticism was discussed prior to the construction of the Suncoast Parkway, where fencing and special underpasses were constructed to protect wildlife and limited exits were constructed to deter exploitation by developers. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3724/is_2_67/ai_111269519/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1]
External Links
*H.E.A.R.T. [http://www.heartlandtaskforce.com/index.htm]
*FDOT document with map of the corridor [http://www.heartlandtaskforce.com/pdf/Heartland%20Parkway%20Handout_020607_e.pdf]ee Also
* Suncoast Parkway
*Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
*Toll road References
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